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Mark Hill | Antiques & Collectables Expert | Author & PublisherMark Hill | Antiques & Collectables Expert | Author & Publisher
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CATEGORIES
RECENT BLOG POSTS

  • Hang on a second-a… vintage Sekonda watches…

  • Mr Nathaniel Hillier – A Georgian Engraving

  • William Staite Murray – A Rediscovered Painting

  • The Amazing Art of Ron Hitchins

  • Handy – A 19thC Carved Wood African Writing Aid?

  • A Glass Painter’s Goblet – A Rare 19th Century Discovery

  • Is This The Earliest Commercial Iridescent Glass?

  • But it doesn’t even look like glass! Sèvres Lithyalin.
RECENT BLOG POSTS

  • Hang on a second-a… vintage Sekonda watches…

  • Mr Nathaniel Hillier – A Georgian Engraving

  • William Staite Murray – A Rediscovered Painting

  • The Amazing Art of Ron Hitchins

  • Handy – A 19thC Carved Wood African Writing Aid?

ABOUT MARK HILL :

Mark is an author, publisher, TV presenter, and the leading specialist dealer in postwar Czechoslovakian glass. He has been an expert on the BBC Antiques Roadshow since 2007, and co-presented four primetime TV shows on antiques, collecting and interiors for BBC2, including two series of Collectaholics. Mark lectures widely and is an Arts Society (NADFAS) accredited lecturer, a member of The British Antiques Dealers’ Association, and a Freeman of the City of London.

Member of The British Antique Dealers’ Association

NEWSLETTER

MARK'S LATEST TWEETS

    Tweets by @antiquemark

MARK'S INSTAGRAM

    markhillantiques
    Wassail bowl?! Wassat?! Find out here on the Ron Wassail bowl?! Wassat?! Find out here on the Ronati Reel for The Art & Antique Dealers’ Association of America’s ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ online event!
    Scared, scary or surprised? My latest acquisition Scared, scary or surprised? My latest acquisition and, regardless of which, I really like her. No idea about the artist yet, but there’s a (probably) 1970s label on the back for a framer in Penzance. Which may mean nothing. Work to be done. And the frame to be sorted out! But, very happy!
    Sooo much fun being part of the Antiques Roadtrip Sooo much fun being part of the Antiques Roadtrip group at the STV ‘Big Bash’ Christmas party with my besties Roo, Irita, Steven, Serhat, and more. So, so great to see everyone and catch up - giggles, laughs and dodgy dance moves (on my behalf!) aplenty. Thank you so much Antiques Road Trip & STV teams, I feel very fortunate and grateful. ❤️🎄
    It’s only a tiny thing. It’s 3cm tall. But it It’s only a tiny thing. It’s 3cm tall. But it means a huge amount. It’s a Daum miniature glass bowl, created around 1910. Hand blown, then sprayed with acid and so very delicately enamelled by hand with a lake-side scene. The details are fine and exquisite. It’s badly damaged and restored, otherwise I could never afford to own such a thing. Over a century ago, I’d have needed to have been so very rich to have afforded it. It was a rich person’s plaything. It’s needless, function-less, too small for anything. Tchotchke. To hold it in my hand today and view its three dimensional and 360° beauty that has endured for over a century makes me smile inside and outside. Especially now, when work seems all-encompassing and life seems so tough. It’s precious and beautiful to me. It’s the small things in life that matter. Whatever they are. This is one of mine. What’s yours?
    Hang on a second-a… aren’t Sekonda watches mad Hang on a second-a… aren’t Sekonda watches made in Japan? Or at least in the Far East? Well, yes, but their origins actually lie elsewhere. I came across this late 1960s or early 1970s Sekonda wristwatch the other day - it was the styling that caught my eye. Huge egg-shaped ‘cushion’ cases were highly fashionable at the time, inspired by fashion which was inspired by the space race. And the bronze-brown dial just screams the period when combined with the gold-plated case. The fact that the dial shows ‘quarters’ in some lights is an added touch I like. And it’s a 17 jewel mechanical movement too, as the face indicates, so the movement isn’t dreadful quality or the ubiquitous quartz either. The face also indicates that it was ‘MADE IN USSR’. Gosh, more inspection was needed. Gently opening the case up for a surface clean revealed a trident symbol for Soviet watchmaker Poljot and other information. Why the Soviet Union? There’s a story here. Read it on my new blogpost - link in bio!
    Two shady dealers! It’s the last day of filming Two shady dealers! It’s the last day of filming for my Antiques Roadtrip with @iritamarriottantiques 😭 It’s been soooo much fun and a real adventure with highs, lows, gentle teasing and bickering - and laughs a go-go! Thank you so much Irita, I’m going to miss you so very much!! Until the next time! Xxxxx Watch our terrific travels early next year on BBC One!
    Instagram post 17964758857964126 Instagram post 17964758857964126
    I can’t bear single use plastic cups! Watch this I can’t bear single use plastic cups! Watch this @bbcantiquesroadshow Reel to find out my antique sustainable solution!
    My third Falmouth find. Wrestlers in charcoal on p My third Falmouth find. Wrestlers in charcoal on paper - I like the faces, the movement, the swift and almost cartoony style, and more. It almost reminds me of Keith Vaughan. But that is undoubtedly wishful thinking. There are, and have been, so many artists in Cornwall!
    Two new paintings. Gouache or watercolour on paper Two new paintings. Gouache or watercolour on paper, seemingly scraped and also scratched in places. No great age, but large and somehow gently appealing and balanced to my eyes. Bought in Cornwall. Research to be done! Happy weekend all!
    Weird key! Kindly given to me when I was travellin Weird key! Kindly given to me when I was travelling across Scotland, it unlocks a fascinating history. These keys were used to unlock doors in Edinburgh’s vast and notorious tenement buildings built in the 19th century. Rather than turn to open a lock, they lifted a latch allowing the resident to enter a stairwell. Many tenement buildings still exist in Edinburgh and can be considered the world’s first high rise homes, sometimes having 15 storeys. They’re called Odell Keys, or Night Latch Keys, and were invented in the U.K. by Odell in 1792, even though the French were using them long before. This one probably dates from the late 19thC or early 20thC. The internal geometric pattern inside the ‘spade’ area differed widely, enabling security between buildings to be maintained. A fascinating tiny bit of Scottish social history - and domestic history.
    Oh my! What a week! And what a rollercoaster! Than Oh my! What a week! And what a rollercoaster! Thank you @rooirvine and @antiqueroadtrip and, of course, Scotland and all the dealers and experts we met for a marvellous and wonderful experience! ❤️ If you missed it, catch up on BBC iPlayer here - https://bbc.in/3hVpL0Z
    And so my first Antiques Road Trip is over! Thank And so my first Antiques Road Trip is over! Thank you - so much - Roo! The perfect friend and roadtrip companion! We had loads of fun and treasures a go-go! Catch up on our Scottish Antiques Road Trip on BBC iPlayer - https://bbc.in/3hVpL0Z
    Taffeta & Tails! Roo’s fab find brought her a Taffeta & Tails! Roo’s fab find brought her a huge profit at the auction yesterday. I’m still in the lead, but Roo’s catching up. It all hangs on our finds and the last auction today! Who will win our Scottish roadtrip? Tune into Antiques Road Trip on BBC1 today at 3.45pm to find out. Also, will Roo finally persuade me to don a kilt? Fat chance?!
    A tiny etching of a Georgian gentleman revealed a A tiny etching of a Georgian gentleman revealed a fascinating glimpse into the business of a Georgian print dealer involving the British Museum, Christie’s, massive losses, and an attachment to strong coffee. Read more on my blog - link in bio. Acquired from the excellent Risby Barns antiques centres, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
    So I’m in the lead on this week’s Antiques Roa So I’m in the lead on this week’s Antiques Roadtrip, but how long will it last? Tune in at 3.45pm to find out as Roo and I travel across Bonnie Scotland! Thank you to the amazing Glenfarclas team for such a friendly welcome! I learned loads and you may have even cured my aversion to whisky, it’s wonderful! What could be more Scottish than haggis in whisky?!
    My first ‘Antiques Roadtrip’ airs next week! My first ‘Antiques Roadtrip’ airs next week! Join @rooirvine and me on BBC1 next week as we traverse the length and breadth of Bonny Scotland. Touring across the Highlands and Lowlands in our 1970s Triumph Stag classic car, Roo and I visit Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, the Isle of Skye, and Stirling - and we even make it as far north as John O'Groats! We had so much fun, and it was an utter delight travelling with Roo. You'll see spectacular Scottish landscapes, amazing antiques shops, characterful dealers, great buys and not-so-great buys, thrilling auctions, laughs, and stories from grave-robbing to Highland cattle to the life of a Scottish clan leader today. Who wins? Well, that would be telling - you'll have to watch it to find out!   Watch us from Monday 3rd through to Friday 7th October 2022 on BBC1 at 3.45pm. You can also catch up on BBC iPlayer.
    Tune into tonight’s @bbcantiquesroadshow at Seft Tune into tonight’s @bbcantiquesroadshow at Sefton Park, Liverpool, to find out the story behind this bizarre bird…and its value. AND one of the best comeback lines I’ve had so far from an owner!
    God rest the Queen. God save The King. God rest the Queen. God save The King.
    “I don’t know what it is either”, he said wh “I don’t know what it is either”, he said when I was examining it quizzically. Earlier this month we went to Barcelona for a much-needed break and I stumbled across the Mercat Gòtic outside the cathedral. What a little treasure trove! And so much less expensive and more friendly than most of the shops on the nearby street. I was intrigued by this small sculpture (only 9cm/3.5in in length!) carved from a burr or bit of root. Three ‘grotesque’ faces stared out at me, two in profile. The patina indicated that it had been handled and examined for many years. The lack of a hole or wear from mounting, a flat base, and the presence of a monogram signature implies that it is what it is - it wasn’t part of something. It sort of looks like a misshapen lamb cutlet crossed with an Honoré Daumier sculpture! I’m thinking French, late 19thC, if not a little earlier, partly as the dealer had come from France. But I know nothing more. As its new guardian, I can’t put it down either - a clever carving, full of emotions and skill in blending the fascinating facial forms with the random natural bumps and hollows. I do love a mystery, but sometimes there’s little or no further story, it’s just a ‘good thing’.
    Load More… Follow on Instagram
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Copyright 2022 © Mark Hill
  • Home
  • Books
  • Shop
    • Art
    • Ceramics
    • Curiosities
    • Czech Glass
    • Other Glass
    • Studio Glass
    • OBJEKT
    • Buying From Me At Antiques Fairs & Online
    • Billing Terms & Conditions
    • Returns & Refunds
    • Customer Services
  • Blog
  • LEARN
    • Articles & Features
      • Art – Blog Archive
      • British Glass – Blog Archive
      • Ceramics – Blog Archive
      • Czech Glass – Basic Q&A
      • Czech Glass – Blog Archive
      • Doulton’s Rare Isobath Inkwells
      • Dunhill Namiki
      • Fat Lava – Blog Archive
      • General Collecting – Blog Archive
      • Glass – Blog Archive
      • Inuit Sculpture
      • Polish Film Posters
      • Prehistoric Art in Modern Design
      • The Horrors of War
      • Top Picks – Olympic Memorabilia
      • Top Ten in 20thC Glass – Part I
      • Top Ten in 20thC Glass – Part II
      • Whitefriars Fakes
      • Who & What Was Raymor?
    • Ricardia Art Pottery
      • Ricardia – Shapes
      • Ricardia – Glazes
      • Ricardia – Marks
    • Portfolio
      • Lectures
      • Bespoke Tours With Mark
      • RONATI
      • Book Price Guide & Update Sheets
  • TV & Events
    • Watch Mark on TV
      • BBC Antiques Roadshow
      • Collectaholics – BBC2
      • Antiques Uncovered – BBC2
      • Cracking Antiques – BBC2
    • Events Archive
      • Alla Moda Italian Ceramics Exhibition
      • Dartington Exhibition
      • Fat Lava Exhibition
      • Hi Sklo Lo Sklo Exhibition
      • Isle of Wight Glass Studio Day
      • Mdina Glass Book Launch
      • Michael Harris at Broadfield House
  • About
    • 60 Seconds With…
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